Meteor Is Major Victory for Europe

Meteor is a milestone in the future of Europe's consolidating missile industry.

Meteor will equip 233 Eurofighters of the RAF from 2008, giving them the ability to shoot down targets beyond visual range as far as 125 miles away. The missile will likely become standard equipment on all Eurofighters, as well as Gripen and Rafale, with export potential of up to $3 billion over the next few years. France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Sweden were awaiting the UK decision on Meteor, and have accepted Britain's position as lead nation in the development program.

An all-European group led by Matra BAE Dynamics MBD (with Boeing as US marketing partner) was chosen by the UK over a proposal by Raytheon Co. to offer a developed US AMRAAM missile.

Partners in the Meteor group are prime contractor MBD, the Anglo-Italian Alenia Marconi Systems (seeker and radome), Dasa (with LFK and its 50%-owned Bayern-Chemie), Casa and Saab Dynamics.

Meteor will utilize a ramjet variable flow ducted motor using boron as a high energy propellant developed by Bayern-Chemie. Ram/rocket propulsion is required to achieve necessary range and high end-game maneuver requirements against high-agility targets. Meteor will have exceptional kinematic capability, with optimum end-game and far better no-escape zone performance than current medium-range AAMs.

The radar-guided Meteor will be able to lock on to several targets and select one after launching thanks to a mid-course datalink capability; it will have shoot up/shoot down performance, and will be highly resistant to electronic countermeasures.

In beating Raytheon, Meteor should begin to address what MBD says is a one-way street in US domination of missile systems. Europe, its says, uses 18 different U.S .missile systems, with 12 in the UK alone -- yet the U.S. has not bought a single British missile.